# Movies that were better than books... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 14, 2010, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391 "2010-05-14T03:46:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Negative\_Lite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Negative\_Lite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Negative_Lite)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391/21 "2010-05-14T12:10:54Z")
_The Ten Commandments_. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391/22 "2010-05-14T12:17:38Z")
Definitely agreed on **Jaws** (what was up with the weird Hooper-Mrs. Brody sex scenes?) and I’ll throw in **Jurassic Park**. The book is OK, but the movie is one of those defining moments of cinema. ---
**Author:** ![Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian_D.Bergkamp)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391/23 "2010-05-14T12:31:26Z")
My three: **The Commitments** - book by Roddy Doyle, film directed by Alan Parker. The book (a novella, actually) is about an Irish band that plays Motown-style music. It’s good, but the movie fleshes out some of the conflicts better and you actually get to hear the music, instead of just reading about it. And the performances - by a relatively unknown group of musicians and novice actors - is outstanding. **Angel Heart** - based on the book by William Hjortsberg; film directed by Alan Parker. The book is about a private detective hired my a mysterious client to find a missing singer in a strong mixture of religion and black magic. Credit to the Hjortsberg for writing an interesting story, but Parker captures the mood much more effectively. He also changed the setting for parts of the story from New York to New Orleans. It’s easier (for me, anyway) to imagine a voodoo underworld in the Big Easy than the Big Apple. **Stardust** - book by Neil Gaiman, film directed by Matthew Vaughn. I actually can’t remember why I liked the movie so much more than the book, but I did. For the record, I’m registering my strong disagreement with those of you who listed **The Princess Bride** , **To Kill a Mockingbird** , **Harry Potter** , and **The Lord of the Rings**. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391/24 "2010-05-14T12:37:35Z")
**Sense and Sensibility**. It’s got a number of “show don’t tell” flaws as a book, which Emma Thompson’s screenplay completely wiped away. For starters, she gave the male lead an actual personality. Great film. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391/25 "2010-05-14T13:03:30Z")
> [@](#): > > CalMeacham will be along shortly to agree with me. I agree with **Robot Arm** Sorry I’m so late. I was asleep at 4:54 I do disagree with several of the choices in this thread, though. I agree about **Jaws** , but only based on what I’ve heard – I haven’t read the book. And I’m ambivalent about **V for Vendetta** – a lot could easily be cut from the graphic novel (and was, fortunately, for the film), but there were some things that the comic did better. A few others: **The Day the Earth Stood Still** was better than the short story it was based on, _Farewell to the Master_ by Harry Bates. **They Live** was better than the sketchy story it was based on. I liked **Rashomon** an awful lot more than the two stories – _Rashomon_ and _In the Bush_ that it was based on (and it was derived more from the latter than the former) There were an awful of of changes between the book and the movie of **Ice Station Zebra**. I definitely take the movie over the book. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391/26 "2010-05-14T13:07:04Z")
A show, but based on what I’ve read of the Sookie Stackhouse books, \*\*True Blood \*\*is better than the books. Love the show, but I can’t get into the books at all. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391/27 "2010-05-14T13:09:43Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > _Jaws_ is my standard in this regard. A crap book but a great movie. > > Some would say _The Godfather_, but the book is nowhere near as bad as _Jaws_. I came here to state my usual ‘Godfather’ response to this question, but I’ve just changed my standard response. Yeah, Jaws the book was that bad. Good call. MMM ---
**Author:** ![Haunted\_Pasta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/94ad74/32.png) [@Haunted\_Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haunted_Pasta)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391/28 "2010-05-14T13:28:38Z")
_The Last Picture Show_. And the book was really, really good. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391/29 "2010-05-14T13:32:28Z")
**Star Wars.** ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391/30 "2010-05-14T13:36:33Z")
> [@pohjonen](#): > > I’m sure this has been done before, but I haven’t seen it. I’d nominate _The Talented Mr. Ripley_ as a far better movie than book (I found the book almost unreadable), same with Stephen King’s _Carrie_, and last but not least, _Primal Fear_ from the William Diehl book by the same name. > Got any more? I respectfully disagree and if you say it again I’ll disrespectfully disagree. 😃 I found the book better precisely because of what the film got wrong, as good as the film was anyway. Highsmith was well-able to convey in the book all the complex and conflicting psychological, emotional and self-esteem elements that drove Ripley to do what he did. Not to fault the medium for ultimately making this act seem conniving and craven, but it was nigh impossible for the movie to do those elements justice, and it erred in couching his sexual feelings in today’s terms, rather than the the terms of the period in which it was written. ---
**Author:** ![BeeDubU2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BeeDubU2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeDubU2)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391/31 "2010-05-14T13:39:29Z")
I can’t believe noone’s mentioned **The Color Purple** yet. That gets my vote. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391/32 "2010-05-14T13:39:31Z")
> [@Snite](#): > > _V for Vendetta_ was definitely better than the comic it’s based on. Couldn’t get into the comic at all. :mad: I can’t believe this! The answer to the OP is King Rat. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391/33 "2010-05-14T13:41:59Z")
> [@BeeDubU2](#): > > I can’t believe noone’s mentioned The Color Purple yet. That gets my vote. What? The book is fantastic, as is the movie. Kiss of the Spiderwoman is unreadable, but the movie is wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![Jormungandr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@Jormungandr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jormungandr)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391/34 "2010-05-14T13:47:24Z")
“The Natural.” In the novel at the end is a combination of Casey at the Bat and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. The movie had that amazing home run. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391/35 "2010-05-14T14:08:36Z")
> [@I'm Not Dennis Bergkamp](#): > > **Stardust** - book by Neil Gaiman, film directed by Matthew Vaughn. I actually can’t remember why I liked the movie so much more than the book, but I did. Robert DeNiro as a Whoopsie. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391/36 "2010-05-14T14:14:50Z")
I’d have to say **Forrest Gump**. The book was not a fun read, but the movie was a fun watch. Oh, and let’s not forget **Frankenstein**. Mary Shelley’s novel is just gawdawful, but Boris Karloff did an outstanding job as the creature in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391/37 "2010-05-14T14:21:25Z")
> [@badbadrubberpiggy](#): > > A show, but based on what I’ve read of the Sookie Stackhouse books, \*\*True Blood \*\*is better than the books. > > Love the show, but I can’t get into the books at all. If we’re counting TV shows, **Dexter** on Showtime is much better than the books. The first book, **Darkly Dreaming Dexter** , compares favorably with the first season, but it’s very fortunate that they avoided the second and third books for plotlines in the following seasons; the later books are absolute rubbish. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391/38 "2010-05-14T14:27:19Z")
_Frankenstein_. Whale’s vision is completely different from Shelley’s–and that’s a good thing. I’m sorry, but when Shelley alludes to Milton and Goethe, she makes me want to drop her book and go read Milton and Goethe. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391/39 "2010-05-14T14:44:29Z")
Lets see, The Sand Pebbles Flight of the Phoenix Andromeda Strain ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391/40 "2010-05-14T14:45:00Z")
I gotta disagree on **Frankenstein**. I liked the book, and have read it several times. The movie had great acting and fascinating visuals, but I get the distinct impression that the movie was what they made because the mores at the time wouldn’t let them make the book more directly into a movie. The movie script is actually several layers of attempts to adapt a stage play to the screen (the original stage play itself isn’t visible under all that, let alone the novel). The same thing happened to **Dracula** , although I have to agree that just about any version of Dracula is an improvement on the book. Although it’s fascinating, the book has way the heck too many characters and its notion of their connection with each other is pretty sketchy, so that stage and screen adaptations keep making connections between characters that aren’t in the book in order to explain why these characters have anything to do with each other – like the 1931 film giving Harker’s visit to Transylvania to Renfield, or the 19709 version making Lucy the daughter of Van Helsing, or the 1971 and 1995 versions making Lucy or Mina the reincarnation of Dracula’s dead wife, or… well, you get the idea. And only Coppola’s version even tries to keep the Texan in it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-were-better-than-books/539391.md?page=3)